Page 15 - Oct19

Do Nothing (continues) Elder Philip N. Conley

Scripture encourages us to wait on the Lord amongst other things. (Isaiah 40:31) This
waiting time is not a "thumb twiddling" session as many think when picturing waiting
- such as the doctor's office. It is also not a free opportunity to indulge in the distrac-

tions of the world. Rather patient waiting is an act of faith that what God has prom-
ised, He is able also to perform. Rather than tap our foot mumbling, "Where in the
world is He?", we simply put our minds and hearts into the gear of what we expect to
do when with Him. If we are looking to meet Him in His courts of worship, what kind

of time will we have? If we are seeing our own mortality and nearing our end, what
kind of time will we have in His home? If we are about to face some serious difficul-
ties, temptations, and strife, what kind of battle will we fight side-by-side? Waiting
upon Him is not waiting "for" Him. Some have the idea that waiting upon the Lord is

like waiting for someone to get back from town. We are with Him, in Him, and on
Him right now. We move because He moves, and we stop because He stops. That is
truly waiting "upon" Him.

Stillness is perhaps the hardest of these three areas since even people "doing nothing"
are rarely doing nothing. Minds can race, hearts can melt, and bodies in motion tend
to stay in motion. My ears still hurt today when I think about thumpings they took for
not being still in church. The Psalmist told us to "be still" and Moses told the congre-

gation to "stand still." (Psalm 46:10, Exodus 14:13) In both cases, the stillness was
not for no purpose. It was to derive benefit from something that could not be attained
otherwise. Had the children of Israel tried to flee from the banks of the Red Sea - even
though there was nowhere to go - beholding the great sight would have been out of

view. The command to stand still was for the benefit to see this great sight. When we
aren't still in our spirits, we can forget that He is God like we will when we are still.
Stillness in this case instructs us to remember how great and mighty He truly is. No
matter the mountain in front of you, He's higher. No matter the demon battling you,

He is stronger. And no matter the unfaithfulness of our own core, He is faithful in all
things to the end.

Do Nothing (continues)

Zion’s Lamp